John 2:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

NIV: So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

NASB: And He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;

CSB: After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables.

NLT: Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.

KJV: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

NKJV: When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.

Popular culture often depicts Jesus Christ as soft, quiet, and gentle. While He exhibited those demeanors when appropriate, Jesus was neither timid, nor weak, nor frail. Incidents such as this show that Jesus was capable of action and righteous anger. That even included a level of physical confrontation when it became necessary. A critical point to note is that Jesus makes the whip which He used to drive these men from the temple. He didn't see the problem, lose His temper, and then pick something up to swing in a rage. His actions were deliberate, leaving no mistake about His intent or His justified anger.

The sad situation in the temple reflected Israel's spiritual state during Jesus' earthly ministry: stuck in a rut, wealth-obsessed, and uninterested in heavenly things. Jesus' disruption of the business there was certainly against local civil laws. It's to be expected that the local guards and priests would be upset with His actions. And yet, nothing in the Bible suggests that He harmed anyone, or any animals, or damaged any property. Jesus doesn't just cause a commotion; He stays to explain His reasons (John 2:16).

A common question the Bible leaves unanswered is whether any of the scribes, priests, or merchants recognized Jesus. As a young boy He had amazed crowds—at this very temple—with His spiritual knowledge (Luke 2:46-47). It's likely that Jesus performed this "cleansing" more than once, with the second being during the days just before His crucifixion (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45). If so, He would have been easily remembered and even more hated after the second incident.

John 2:13–23 describes Jesus driving corrupt businessmen from the temple. His wrath is not because of selling sacrifices, itself, but rather the greedy focus on money with no regard to serving God. Jesus is never depicted as out of control, but His anger is clear. It's likely that this is an early temple cleansing, and the other gospels record a second, separate incident. Jesus' right to act this way is challenged by the authorities. In typical Hebrew style, they demand a miraculous sign. Jesus instead predicts His own death and resurrection. This passage contrasts with the quiet, joyous miracle at the wedding.

Jesus attends a wedding where He performs His first miracle: turning water into wine. This symbolizes a transformation of human rituals into divine sacrifice. Few people are even aware that a miracle has occurred. Jesus then drives crooked businessmen out of the temple, scolding them for turning a sacred area into a crass marketplace.

Chapter 2 begins to show Jesus' "signs," or miracles, which will prove that He is the Savior. The miracles will become more spectacular over time, but they start quietly. Contrast is an important part of the gospel of John. The quiet, joyful miracle at the wedding is starkly different from the loud public spectacle of clearing the temple. Jesus' first miracle symbolizes His mission. During the temple clearing, He also predicts His death and resurrection. This sets the stage for Jesus' private discussion with Nicodemus, a respected and influential man.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.